Obviously he is a talented boxer, but I think what sets him apart from the rest is that he possesses a genuinely strong mental foundation that essentially makes him an unstoppable force. He is invincible in his mind. I'm not really a Floyd Mayweather fan but I have to respect and admire his iron will. "Even if no one believes me, Floyd (me) will always believe in me." - Mayweather at the Ortiz press conference 
That, and for all the shit he talks, ya gotta believe he trains extremely hard and smart year round while other fighters(like Hatton) do not.
Nevertheless, I'm rooting for Ortiz.
I agree completely. It's his unshakable belief in himself that is perhaps his greatest mental tool. He is a cocky SOB, but he really backs up his talk with hard work. I personally don't like the guy, but I too, admire him for his iron will and self-confidence.
J-Tee - I agree completely. It's his unshakable belief in himself that is perhaps his greatest mental tool. He is a cocky SOB, but he really backs up his talk with hard work. I personally don't like the guy, but I too, admire him for his iron will and self-confidence.
This is exactly how I feel. I mean, I root against the guy constantly but I have to give credit where its due. His unrelenting mental fortitude is not as common as we'd think. Yeah, athletes talk the same talk but Mayweather truly believes it and it shows in his walk.
He works extremely hard. He is "wired" to his training in ways you don't often encounter in other athletes. My guess is that it is a reinforcing cycle: Undefeated and continues winning=> Unparalleled motivation to maintain his status => Reminded of poor, hard, difficult upbringing => Motivation to train at even odds hours (2am for a 5k???) => Undefeated and continues winning.
I bet it doesn't hurt having an uncle and dad that have smoothed out the kinks in their fighting style all those years beforehand.
I agree that Mayweather HAS to have a phenomenol work ethic....he is soooo obsessed with his record, and keeping it unblemished, that his ego wouldn't allow his body to not train ferociously (sp).
That said, I believe PBF wins this fight (*even though I can't stand his "character") but I still threw a small amount on Ortiz due to the odds and his recently shown ability to overcome adversity. I think the first 3 rounds will tell all.
*note regarding PBF's "character": I don't believe that he is as much of an asshole as he makes himself out to be. He has marketed himself as an arrogant shit talker, but I find it hard to believe he is that arrogant in his day to day life.
haha I think he feels like it's almost expected now. You know, like he has to uphold this, what he believes to be, popular persona.
besides Floyd being so talented in the art of boxing.
his work ethic is without doubt, second to none
id love for the "science in sport" guys to do physical tests on him.
id bet my bottom dollar that he has a massive VO2 max, huge lungs, and probably a resting heart rate below 40.
id say he's genetically different, not different as such, but similar to endurance athletes.
he never tires, ive never seen his pace drop, and that alone is possibly his biggest, yet most over looked asset
Hard to isolate qualities without doing an injustice to the whole of them. Nonetheless it's clear that a good case can be made that, after certain minimal criteria are met going into the making of a championship fighter, mental strength is more important than the other qualities.
But like they say in chess, "One's opponent has the right to exist too," and one punch can reverse stop the invincibility narrative. Since no fighter controls every moment of every fight, one of the most reliable ways to measure mental strength is the reaction to adversity. We don't have much to go on in this area because PBF is almost never in trouble, and almost always winning his fights on the cards at any point.
Now, you can argue that dominating nearly every fight, and never being in big trouble, is better evidence of mental strength than getting out of trouble, coming back to win, etc.
If we allow that argument, however, I think we have to concede mental strength is in good part the result of preparation, and in that department nobody can beat Floyd.
So I would say preparation > mental fortitude, although this can easily become tail-chasing. Who but the mentally strongest have the will to prepare like Floyd? Or to keep their body in shape year round (and, miraculously, avoid degeneration into dope and booze, as so many celebrities succumb to)?
MonsterBalls - If Mayweather loses tonight the Kostakio Curse will be born.
LOL
sure would be fun to watch this ;)
mdh2k10 - he was trained to be a world champion since he was like 2 years old
yep, just like Macheeta
how does Floyd do against Duran, Hearns or even Leonard at welterweight?
I posted a video a few weeks ago on here..there was a 30 min special on Floyd a few years ago aired on Versus..they interviewed sports psychologist, and like you said he's so good because he believes in himself and trains like a mad man..he does 3 a days..it's mind games for him..when you're sleeping at 3 am, he's in the Gym or running 8 miles..he does whatever he can to get that mental edge, when he works out you always hear him say, Hard Work....Dedication
Well we've seen tonight that class isn't one of them
I don't think Mayweather was wrong here though. Ortiz HEADBUTTED him (could've broke all of his teeth/bones). A (legal) punch(es) was in order, tbqh. I mean, we've seen guys get bitten for far less. :)
Oh, and as far as his Larry Merchant tirade, I actually think he had the right to say "fack you, I don't need to stand here while you're condescending and smug". It was quite refreshing, tbqh.
P.S. I don't like Mayweather one bit but I respect him now.
I think it's HARDWORK and DEDICATION
I mean, it has to be. Otherwise they wouldn't keep yelling it at me during every 24/7
GargleMyEnemaWater - LOL, EVERY time you post, you just confirm that you HAVE to be retarded.
Congrats, we just found the only person on the planet capable of coming to the conclusion "Wow, you know what, Floyd Mayweather really just earned my respect tonight!" after that debacle.
Explain what Mayweather did wrong last night, you smegma.